Media Matters for America , Slate.com blogger Mickey Kaus and Internet news digester Matt Drudge each touted a December 19 National Enquirer article that reports former Edwards campaign worker Rielle Hunter is six months pregnant and that according to the Enquirer, "she's told a close confidante that Edwards is the father of her baby!" As Media Matters further documented, neither Drudge nor Kaus has noted that the Enquirer story to which they link states, "[Edwards confidante Andrew] Young -- a 41-year-old married man with young children, former Edwards campaign operative and purportedly a structured settlement consultant and AVP with Cambridge Galaher Settlements -- now claims HE is the father of Rielle's baby!"
Lest we forget Edwards other less publicized "bun in the oven", the story of Buffalo/Hartwell based Forge Consulting's relationship with John Edwards. A full term gestation period ago (268 days) ago this author was solicited for a campaign donation by the Edwards campaign. At the time this author was seriously considering doing so (having done so in 2003) but wanted Edwards to answer some simple questions to help clarify how he could have possibly given a professional testimonial about Forge Consulting if his occupational timeline would have precluded his ever using them professionally.Download letter_to_john_edwards_032720007_sent_via_johnedwards_2008_website.pdf . He never has.
If John Edwards really gave a testimonial to Forge Consulting based on professional experience, (which again from a timing standpoint he never could have had...with them) he would have endorsed a company whose principals made declarations under penalty of perjury to the United States Department of Justice that were mutually exclusive to the way Forge Consulting continually advertised to attorneys and tort victims in print, on its website and in a recorded interview with the Forge President, on The Legal Talk Network, by Marsha Kazarosian, President of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys (MATA) on May 20, 2005.
It unfortunately appears that John Edwards gave Forge Consulting a testimonial on the basis of a financial contribution, which Forge Consulting operatives then used in the process of soliciting regulated insurance products. It is important to note that given ample opportunity to do so, John Edwards HAS NOT disavowed any connection to Forge Consulting or the testimonial, even AFTER the knowledge of the declarations and mutual exclusivity became known to him.
Download forge_feb_21_2007_letterny_statejohn_bair.pdf
Download forge_consulting_testimonial_web_page.pdf
We know that after July 13, 2007 coinciding with the AAJ meeting in Chicago, Forge Consulting took the testimonial page down. The page has shown as "under construction" ever since,
Download forge_testimonialsunder_construction_7132007.pdf
Although Edwards campaign is flagging now, it might be worth reporters' time to dig and learn if the there ever was a writing from John Edwards or one of his operatives to a Forge Consulting principal thanking them for their contributions and making the statement that was used in the Forge Advertising (see above). What knowledge does Andrew Young, a high level campaign operative for Edwards in July 2007 and NOW a player in the National Enquirer story have about this?
Isn't it fascinating that two scandals surrounding Presidential candidate John Edwards all involve structured settlement brokers or structured settlement consultants.
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